The points $(1, 7), (13, 16)$ and $(5, k)$, where $k$ is an integer, are vertices of a triangle. What is the sum of the values of $k$ for which the area of the triangle is a minimum?
Answer: We begin by finding the equation of the line $\ell$ containing $(1,7)$ and $(13,16)$. The slope of $\ell$ is $\frac{16-7}{13-1} = \frac{9}{12} = \frac 34$, so the line has the point-slope form $y - 7 = \frac 34 (x - 1)$. Substituting the value $x = 5$, we obtain that $y = 7 + \frac 34 (5-1) = 10$. It follows that the point $(5,10)$ lies on the line containing $(1,7)$ and $(13,16)$ (for $k = 10$, we obtain a degenerate triangle). To minimize the area of the triangle, it follows that $k$ must either be equal to $9$ or $11$.

Indeed, we claim that both such triangles have the same area. Dropping the perpendiculars from $(5,9)$ and $(5,11)$ to $\ell$, we see that the perpendiculars, $\ell$, and the line segment connecting $(5,9)$ to $(5,11)$ form two right triangles. By vertical angles, they are similar, and since they both have a hypotenuse of length $1$, they must be congruent. Then, the height of both triangles must be the same, so both $k = 9$ and $k = 11$ yield triangles with minimal area. The answer is $9 + 11 = \boxed{20}$.